1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an integrated cooling and climate control system and method for a wind turbine, and more particularly to systems and methods to cool the air inside the nacelle and the heat generating components of a wind turbine such as the drivetrain, the electrical generator, the converter, and the transformer.
2. Related Art
A wind turbine converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy through its rotor, drivetrain, electrical generator, and converter. An electrical transformer converts the low voltage output from the converter into a high voltage output before the output is sent to the substation at the wind farm. The wind turbine nacelle houses these mechanical and electrical components, namely, the drivetrain, the electrical generator, the converter, and the transformer (usually located in the nacelle to reduce the power loss due to low voltage electrical transmission). The nacelle also houses the components of the hydraulic system needed for blade pitching and nacelle yawing.
These components generate a significant amount of heat while the wind turbine is operating. For their protection and their efficient operation, the heat generated by these components has to be continuously removed. This is typically done by circulating a coolant through the heat exchangers built into these components. The coolant then transports the heat from these components and dissipates it to the ambient air with the help of air cooled radiators mounted on the outside of the nacelle.
The coolant could be any fluid that is typically used in low temperature heat exchangers, such as a mixture of ethylene glycol and water that does not freeze during cold weather. It is noted that the heat generated by the drivetrain, and that by the hydraulic system, is dissipated to the coolant through liquid-to-liquid heat exchangers in the lubricating oil and the hydraulic fluid sumps, respectively. The airflow inside the nacelle over the heat generating components also helps cool them on the outside. The ambient air usually enters through one or more inlets at the nacelle bottom, and the warmer air exits to the outside through the outlets at the nacelle top. Outlet fans help the airflow through the nacelle and over the heat generating components. Thus, the ambient air is typically used as a heat sink to cool the heat generating components of a wind turbine. The air inside the nacelle can also be cooled by an optional coolant-to-air exchanger.